


Stars and Sparrows

by sumomomochi



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Body Modification, Letters, M/M, Past Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Skinny Steve, Social Media, Soldier Bucky, Tattoo Artist Steve Rogers, as in this fic is largely through letters and social media, at least the first half, penpals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-04
Updated: 2015-11-26
Packaged: 2018-03-16 06:27:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3477857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sumomomochi/pseuds/sumomomochi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>Dear Sergeant Barnes,</i><br/> </p><p>  <i>My buddy Sam is a counselor at the VA and he says it’s totally not creepy at all to get a letter out of the blue from someone you don’t know when you’re overseas, so if it is, in fact, too weird for you, blame him. My other friend Natasha says one of the guys in your unit said you don’t really get anything and I’ve been roped into rectifying this. Not that I mind or anything :P I’m pretty familiar with how much it can suck not really having anyone to write home to.</i><br/> </p><p>  <i>Which I guess is a pretty good segue into introducing myself. I’m Steve Rogers.</i><br/> A love story told (mostly) through letters and social media between a tattoo artist and a soldier, and their friends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this fic is the spawn of my intense frustration with the mcu fandom's general inability to write characters interacting via texts up to my gross homestuck standards and my love/hate relationship with fics involving body mods of any sort because i love the idea of them oh my god so many people do them WRONG (which means that all pertinent info as accurate as i can make it without being a body mod professional myself)
> 
> it ended up being sort of ridiculously long :I and mostly about dong :IIII

Dear Sergeant Barnes,

My buddy Sam is a counselor at the VA and he says it’s totally not creepy at all to get a letter out of the blue from someone you don’t know when you’re overseas, so if it is, in fact, too weird for you, blame him. My other friend Natasha worked with (????) or dated (?!?!?) (or something, she won’t actually tell me, citing national security. It’s hard being friends with government employees. It’s hard and nobody understands :’( ) anyway, Natasha says one of the guys in your unit said you don’t really get anything and I’ve been roped into rectifying this. Not that I mind or anything :P I’m pretty familiar with how much it can suck not really having anyone to write home to.

Which I guess is a pretty good segue into introducing myself. I’m Steve Rogers. I grew up in Brooklyn as an only child with just my mom after my dad died in the first gulf war. My ma died when I was in college (of cancer, so it wasn’t exactly unexpected or anything but), then I dropped out and fell ass backwards into a tattoo apprenticeship, and now I live and work in DC.

I wanted to join the army myself when I was growing up. Follow in my dad’s foot steps, you know? Didn’t exactly happen, obviously. I’ve got a lot of health issues -- nothing bad, just a bunch -- and I’m a bit on the short side, but being as into military history as I was as a kid is why I ended up apprenticing. I came across a photography book of military members from WWII and their tattoos when I was twelve or thirteen or something and I absolutely fell in love with the style of them. You know, the Sailor Jerry old school look. I made bank in junior high drawing fake tattoos on kids with sharpies and all that practice did me good. When we knew for sure my mom was going to pass, I drew out a design for my first tattoo with a lot of her input. Sort of. She joked about me getting one of those silly mom in heart tattoos you see on tough guys in cartoons and that’s pretty much exactly what I did hahah. I ended up incorporating design elements from her Claddagh ring -- that’s what those rings with the heart held by hands with a crown ring are called. I am REALLY Irish -- so it ended up a lot less silly than the ones in cartoons. The guy I got it done by was really impressed with my design and we spent most the time I was in the shop talking about different modifications and how they work and stuff which completely blew my then pretty dang vanilla mind. I guess he ended up talking to a couple of people and a couple days after my ma’s funeral, I got a call offering me an apprenticeship in DC. I took it as a sign that I should do something different with my life and I haven’t had any reason to regret it yet :)

But enough about me. If you’ve actually read this far and are up to replying, it’d be pretty neat to hear about you too. Tattoo stories are always fun, but then, I AM pretty biased :P

All the best,  
Steve

\---

Hey Steve,

Call me Bucky. I get called Sarge or Barnes or a combination there of so often that it’d be a breath of fresh air to be called something else.

I know all about being friends with people who have government ties. In fact, I’m a ▇▇▇▇ for ▇▇▇▇▇ and basically ▇▇▇▇ so I only ever ▇▇▇▇▇▇ and yep, I totally just took a marker to my own damn letter. There’s not actually anything written under all that black since I can’t actually talk about it with you civvies, or with anyone outside my unit. Does your government agent do the old “If I told you, I’d have to kill you” shtick? That ends up being my go to, since ▇▇▇▇.

Wow, that sounds way worse written on paper than it did in my head.

I also grew up in Brooklyn, but I’m not an only child. Our mom died when we were kids and our dad died a couple of years ago but I’ve got a younger sister who’s premed, which is why I don’t get a whole lot in the mail. She’s stupid busy and stupid broke, but she’s doing real well and I couldn’t be more proud.

I don’t have any tattoos, though most my unit wants to get something matching the next time we’re stateside. Idk if anyone’s actually thought out what we should all get but there’s been a lot of talk about it. I definitely know the style you’re talking about though. It is pretty great. My dad was Navy and huge history buff too, so his one tattoo was in that style. He swore up and down that it was the most painful thing he’d ever done, including getting shot, but he still went and got mine and my sister’s initials added to it.

Do you specialize in old school tattoos? And did your mom get to see yours? It sounds pretty incredible. I dated a girl once who wore one of those Claddagh rings and they’ve got a really neat history and meaning to them so it’s pretty cool you incorporated that into your tattoo. I’ve always thought things with special meanings to that are pretty cool. My dad’s tattoo was a sparrow, which traditionally represent time spent on sea or something.

Writing letters is hard as shit. No wonder I usually just end up skyping with my sister.

I guess you could probably let your friend know that he was right. It is pretty cool getting to talk at someone outside of my unit. I swear we end up talking about the same four fucking things every night and there’s only so much a guy can take.

Bucky 

p.s. holy shit how is your handwriting so nice?

\---

Dear Bucky,

Sam didn’t give me your letter until after he had spent a good twenty minutes gloating. Thanks for that.

My handwriting isn’t actually that great, but I make art for a living so I’m really great at pretending. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made a note to myself only to come back later and wonder what the heck it was I wrote because they sure weren’t letters. I’d usually just type -- smartphones are a godsend for doctor appointments and grocery lists -- but there is totally something to a handwritten letter. That first one I sent you was really only handwritten because I don’t actually have a printer at home and I always feel bad using the shop’s for personal things, but I gotta say, getting a handwritten letter in return was pretty cool :)

I do specialize in old school designs. I’m actually kind of color blind so it works out a lot better for me since there’s usually a pretty limited color pallet involved. There’s been a huge boom in the style since it’s very “vintage” so I get a good number of clients even though I’m so specialized but I’ve been working on branching out into traditional Japanese designs too. I also do a lot of blackwork and grayscale too so I’m not really that specialized but most people do come in looking for my old school designs specifically.

My mom did get to see the tattoo finished. She tried to punch me and then cried. She wasn’t very fond of the idea of body modifications so she didn’t think I’d actually do it but it means a lot to me to always have a reminder of her and her dumb jokes and how much she and dad loved each other which is the part that made her cry but in a good way, so it was okay in the end. She made me promise not to get any more though, which didn’t exactly happen, but growing up the sick kid of a nurse really did instill the idea of, you know, not doing it the dumb way so I haven’t given myself hep c or anyone else hep c and I think she’d rather I be happy anyway.

Writing letters is totally hard. I keep having to go back and reread yours to make sure I reply to everything :P

Sparrows are probably one of my favorite old school designs. I’ve got sparrows and roses on the back of my hands. They’re pretty hipster cliche now but they’re not nearly as bad as the whole I refuse to sink anchor thing. I don’t understand why so many people want that design. It doesn’t even make sense Dx I’m personally not hugely invested in all mods having huge personal meanings or whatever so I don’t often actually know any of the traditional meanings of things. There is a lot of hidden meaning in tattoos though and some clients will tell you about them when you’re working on it, which is pretty cool, and there have been a couple times I’ve gotten something done because I like it and later stumbled across the “meaning” of it and had it really fit for me. Mostly, I just do things because I like it and it makes me happy.

Premed is pretty hardcore. You should totally be proud of your sister. Tell her she had better be nice to the nurses though, because if she’s not I will kick her ass. Nurses make the medical world go round and it’ll be so much easier on her if she’s not all high and mighty just because she’s a doctor. Do you know if she’s picked a specialty?

Also, your whole redacted stunt? Haha so funny.

Dork.

All the best,  
Steve

P.S. high five for Brooklyn :P

\--

Steve,

Damn right it was funny. I’m fucking hilarious.

(Also, you know you don’t have to be polite with me. I’m in the military. I can curse in more languages than I can count.)

I told Becca you’d kick her ass if she was mean to nurses and she was like ooh scary. Then I was like dude is covered in tattoos and she was like shit is he hot. Sisters. (and this is where I’d roll my eyes because seriously /sisters/. You’re lucky man.)

She keeps bouncing around on what she actually wants to do. Last time she mentioned anything specific she said probably pediatrics but before that she was thinking surgery and before that she was thinking the bone one so who knows. Right now she’s focused on getting through school alright so she can go on to do her residency and pick a specialty and all that.

Speaking of your tattoos, how many do you even have? Do you do them on yourself? Do apprentices actually practice on pig skin? Also, is Sam your roommate? Boyfriend? I’ve been stuck in the desert for ages man, give me some juicy gossip. My sister’s literally no help. All she does is study.

I’m totally a dork though, don’t let my super sexy uniform fool you. My storage unit at home is basically half books. I’ve got a kindle and it’s great because it’s an entire library that fits in your pocket but there’s just something about having a real book in hand.

(One day I will actually be okay at writing letters. Today is not that day.)

Bucky

\---

Dear Bucky,

Can you curse in more languages than you can count because you can’t count very high? Because I dare say there are a lot more numbers than there are languages :P

E books are better than regular books imo. They’re a lot more convenient, especially when you reference books a lot like me. Plus there’s a whole lot less furniture involved. (I guess a lot of my bias comes from being kinda blind. It’s so nice being able to zoom in on something I’m trying to read without literally sticking my face in the book.)

If you want gossip, I’m your man. My friend Natasha knows everything about everyone and Darcy knows almost everything about almost everyone AND she’s my receptionist. There’s a lot of gossip in our down time. 

Sam is not my boyfriend, just my roommate and friend, even if he is a bit of an ass sometimes. He was pararescue in the Air Force but he’s been out for a couple of years and now he’s a counsellor for the VA. He’s a pretty swell guy and pretty attractive to boot, if you’re into that sort of thing. He’s also such a Hufflepuff. Swear to God, his immediate reaction to any sort of crisis is to feed everyone. Bad break up? He’s buying you beer and ice cream. Hung over? He’s making pancakes. Long day? Casseroles. Have a doctor appointment? Waffles. He makes all the cookies for his group meetings.

Darcy is our receptionist and a huge nerd too. I’ve learned more about Doctor Who and Benedict Cumberbatch in the eight or so months she’s been with us than I ever thought possible and I grew up watching Classic Who on PBS. She’s a lot of fun though. She’s a polisci major who ended up assisting an astrophysicist on a research trip trip to New Mexico and somehow the feds got involved and that’s all I get to know about that. 

I’m secretly convinced Natasha is some sort of spy. She’s kind of terrifying. It’s pretty great. I’ve seen her scare the shit out of gross dudebros who try to hit on her and it gets funnier each time. We ended up friends because some gross dudebro was trying to hit on her and I got in the way and told him to fuck off and he would have probably broken my face if she hadn’t caught his punch. It was love at first sight. She’s not my girlfriend though, in case you were wondering. I am pretty single at the moment. Also, she’s scary. Hot, but scary.

Peggy is also hot and kind of scary. I apparently kind of have a type since basically all my friends are gorgeous and can kick so much ass. Peggy was the one who offered me the apprenticeship, and she’s part of why I’m really glad to have gone down this path in life. Yes, we totally dated for a while after I finished my apprenticeship but it didn’t quite work out. We’re still friends though, which is great because I love her to bits but it’s definitely more of a platonic soul mate kind of thing.

You can assure your sister that I am indeed pretty hot, in a short and skinny unintentionally hipster kind of way. I rock the whole covered in old school tattoos thing by balancing it out with suspenders and ties and such. Our whole shop kind of has a retro rockabilly vibe to it actually. Peggy’s whole wardrobe consists of 40’s cocktail dresses pretty much and she is the master of victory rolls, then there’s me, then there’s Loki, our piercer, who’s kind of a dick but also pretty dapper. Darcy’s the odd man out. She’s pretty strictly a jeans and tshirt kind of girl, but we’ve convinced Peter, our sometimes receptionist slash blog admin slash photographer, to dress up when he visits the shop. He wears the dorkiest bow ties. It’s great.

Hope you weren’t kidding about wanting that gossip because boy, do I have a lot more AND you asked me about my mods.

I’ve got a lot of tattoos and a lot of them mesh together so there’s no real number I could give. I got my first about seven years ago and there was about a six month gap between that one and my next and from there I just kind of didn’t stop. I was my own guinea pig so I’ve got a lot of shitty little tattoos on my thighs, but mostly I have other people do mine. Can’t exactly reach everywhere :P

There are some people who practice on pig skin since it’s a pretty good analogue but it grosses me out so I didn’t. There’s a ton of synthetic skin companies though.

I’m not the only one who thinks that sounds like I’ve tattooed dildos right? Because that is not at all what I did.

I did once tattoo someone’s actual dick though.

All the best,  
Steve

\---

Steve,

You’re a fucking asshole, anybody ever tell you that? I’ll have you know, I still have all my fingers and all my toes and twenty is a pretty dang high number.

(A little warning the next time you talk shit would be nice. Just about died choking on my dinner.)

(A little warning the next time you talk about dicks would also be nice. Stg Clint’s eyes zeroed in on the word “dildo” from literally across the room and asked about it VERY LOUDLY. I’d be surprised if you didn’t hear him way over there stateside.)

I am kind of horrified that someone would get a tattoo on their dick. I think I’m gonna have nightmares. Thanks.

Sounds like you and Peggy must be something when the two of you go out. It’s pretty cool that you stayed friends after breaking up. Pretty jealous that you’re surrounded by gorgeous people too. Most of the mooks I get to spend time with got hit pretty hard with the ugly stick and then there’s the whole in the middle of fucking no where wearing lots of khaki thing. Tell me more about the clothes of all the hot people you know. Let me live vicariously through you.

Also, 1, who the fuck names their kid Loki and 2, fuck yeah scifi. Who’s your Doctor?

Sorry for not writing much back. Not a whole lot I can talk about and the things I can talk about are all boring as shit. All the gossip is most appreciated though.

Bucky

\---

Dear Bucky,

I have, on occasion, been informed that I’m an ass. I will also concede that twenty is totally an impressive number to be able to count to.

Also, I’ll write this really big so you aren’t caught by surprise again but

THERE’S GOING TO BE MORE DICK IN THIS LETTER

Just so you’re aware :)

A tattooed dick isn’t the weirdest thing I’ve seen. Might be the weirdest I’ve done personally, but I’ve seen and heard of more intense dick mods. I once met a guy who got a silicon implant in his dick. It didn’t do quite what they expected but it was a pretty neat experiment. Mods down under don’t really hurt as much as you’d think either. I mean, you are getting a needle stuck in your junk at least once but there’s a lot of blood flow so it heals really quick. In fact, a guy can have sex pretty soon after getting a genital piercing just as long as there’s a condom involved.

As for who names their kid Loki… I’m not actually convinced Loki is the name his parents gave him. He’s kind of a tool. Not a bad guy really, Peggy wouldn’t keep him around otherwise, but he’s a dick and he’s gone out of his way to piss off his dad by getting involved in the body mod community so I wouldn’t be totally surprised if he changed his name too. He is from Finland or something though, so there’s that too.

One is my Doctor, hands down. I really love Nine too but New Who has kind of gone to shit thanks to Moffat. Darcy is knitting me Four’s scarf though. It’s going to be twice as long as I am tall, which isn't really hard but still. Who's your Doctor?

Also, among my many various health issues, I’m a little hard of hearing so I probably wouldn’t have heard any loud questions about dildos aimed at you ;P

Peggy definitely dresses better than I do. She looks incredible basically all the time, I only wish I looked half as good. But then, I don’t exactly have the figure to pull of what she does. I do try though. To look nice, that is, not to wear her dresses, though the place she buys a lot of her things from does have things that’d fit me.

Mostly I just kind of look like a total hipster. It’s not intentional but I basically can’t find pants short enough ever (because I am REALLY short) so my jeans are always cuffed and I’m always cold so i wear a lot of sweaters and cardigans and I’m half blind without glasses. It’s pretty bad. I gave up looking like anything else but, just so you know, I was actually a hipster before it was cool :P

I’m glad you appreciated all the gossip, such as it was. I’d be happy to tell you some more but it’d definitely be easier to do so with some leading questions. You can totally ask me just about anything too, I’m not really all that shy. I mean I did sort of send a completely unsolicited letter to someone I’d never met so…

I’ll even ask you some questions too, since you’re even worse at this than I am ;)

What’s your favorite color? (mine are the ones I can see, hahah)  
What was your favorite subject in school? (art and history for me, duh)  
favorite animal? (I’ve never really had an actual pet since all the fur and dander in the air is hell on my lungs and I grew up in the city)

All the best,  
Steve

\---

Steve you shit, I just about pissed myself laughing. Did you actually have to write that warning that big? I’m pretty sure half the people here think you’re sending me long, detailed descriptions of your junk. Clint’s dubbed you the dong whisperer. I hope you’re happy.

Is it a normal thing for you to just casually talk about dick? Either professionally or recreationally. I’m not judging or anything but this is a lot more dick talk than I’ve experienced since high school. I am also further horrified at the idea that some people not only tattoo their dicks but get things implanted in them. How does that even work? I don’t know if I actually want to know but I am morbidly curious and kind of scared.

(I’m also sort of morbidly curious over whether you’re speaking from experience? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to but you did say I could ask pretty much anything.)

My Doctor is a toss up between Nine and Ten. I grew up watching Classic Who on PBS too but I didn’t pay a whole lot of attention to it until New Who came out when I was in high school. I will forever remember Seven’s ugly ass sweater though. The seventies were a scary time.

My favorite color is basically anything that’s not khaki. I am so fucking sick of khaki. And tan. And brown. I will say that the sky out here is the most gorgeous shade of blue most of the time so I’ve at least got that to break up the various shades of drab.

Physics was probably my favorite subject in school but my AP bio class was also really cool. The bio teacher was this tiny white guy who rapped about science and he taught us about genetics with tribbles. It was great.

My sister has a cat that we’ve had since middle school. He’s an asshole, as cats are. I don’t really pick sides when it comes to the whole cat v dog thing. Both are pretty great but I wouldn’t really want any pet myself. Not a fan of picking up literal shit.

You’re a short, half blind, half deaf, half color blind hipster with shitty lungs who picks fights. Am I getting this right? What’s your favorite food? favorite booze? Favorite tattoo? Favorite band? Are you averagely short or legitimately fucking tiny?

Bucky  
\---

Dear Bucky,

I am actually fucking tiny. I can seriously buy clothes in the kid sections and I don’t even have to search out the xxl or anything. I’m 5’4” and average something like 110 pounds soaking wet. It’s great. I have so much dumb comic book clothing. I’ve got three words for you buddy. Dinosaur. Footy. Pyjamas.

favorite band is probably a toss up between Green Day and Offspring. Yes, even Green Day’s new stuff. I will fight anyone who say’s their political stuff isn’t amazing because it is. I listen to a ton of stuff though, since we all take turns manning the sound system in the shop and except for Darcy’s occasional insatiable infatuation for the worst pop currently out, we’ve all got pretty good taste in music. I think so at least. We occasionally get people who bitch but they don’t run the shop.

favorite tattoo of mine, besides my mom’s heart, is maybe the old school dagger I’ve got on the inside of one forearm. It was my second and Peggy designed it for me. I’ve got a really soft spot for knuckle tattoos or tattoos on the back of the hands on just about anybody. There’s not a whole lot sexier than full sleeves capped off with something on the back of the hands and across the knuckles.

Favorite booze is hard cider, locally brewed if at all possible, because I am a huge hipster. Favorite food is the worst question to ask someone ever, you ass. I love food. Not that you can really tell looking at me. My mom made the best apple pie in existence and Sam makes bacon pancakes. I’ll pretty much eat anything though.

Dicks though. Well, I’m not exactly unfamiliar with dicks, even in the context of this segue. Which was not something I thought through, by the way. I’m pretty unphased by nudity in general. I see a lot of bare skin on a daily basis and I’ve tattooed breasts and nipples and asscheeks and I work with a guy who pretty regularly sticks his fingers up peoples’ noses and another guy who shoots nude photography. It’s kind of hard to be weird about bodies.

The implant was not something I saw first hand, I just ended up meeting the guy who had it done at a conference so I don’t have all the details. I am familiar with the process behind implants and I guess the implant itself was kind of hinged to allow for growth. You probably don’t want to know much more though. Implants are a pretty intense kind of mod. I am kind of speaking from first hand experience when it comes to genital piercings though. Not as bad as I thought it would be to get it done but the itching afterwards was awful. 

Your bio teacher sounds incredible. How did he teach genetics with tribbles though? Also are you a Trek fan? Which side of the Star Trek versus Star Wars debate do you stand on? I personally prefer Trek but the Star Wars universe is really cool. Same questions back at you too : favorite food, favorite booze, favorite band, plus if you HAD to get a tattoo, what would you get and where? And why ;P Also, favorite Who villain?

All the best,  
The Dong Whisperer

P.S. tell Clint I love my new title. I’m gonna add it to my business cards :P

\---

Dear Dong Whisperer,

You’re the biggest fucking shithead I have ever met. I laugh my ass off at every letter of yours so thank Sam and Natasha for bullying you into writing me on my behalf.

Clint says you should send some of your new and improved business cards our way. He wants to frame one. Idk where he’s going to find a frame to do so out here, but he’s damn well going to try.

I shouldn’t have asked you any of those questions. They are a pain in the ass to answer. Food, booze and music are all very important and I love it all. Except rum. Rum gives me the worst fucking hangovers in existence so I do my best to stay away from it. My sister has all our ma’s cookbooks and recipe cards and half of what I do when I’m stateside is make a mess of her kitchen cooking (I pay most of her bills so she can’t say shit, plus she ends up with two months of real food on a daily basis /and/ I clean up after myself.)

I’ll listen to damn near anything with a good beat. I played in my high school’s jazz band so jazz and big band hold a special place in my heart but electronica and a lot of the dance pop music coming out these days is really great too. Which I guess is my roundabout way of not picking a single band as my favorite. Fuck you, not gonna do it.

If I had to get a tattoo, I’d get my dad’s, same place and everything. The only difference is I’d do his and ma’s initials in place of mine. Seems a little vain to get my own initials tattooed on myself after all. The why should be obvious : I’m unimaginative.

Cybermen all the way. The weeping angels are scary as shit though. It’s a good thing you said the Star Wars universe is cool because otherwise we couldn’t remain friends. Trek is also great. I grew up watching TNG with my dad, so that’s my favorite but none of it will beat my love for Star Wars. I’ve been a Jedi for Halloween pretty much every year since I was nine except for the year I was Han.

Further reasons Star Wars is better than Star Trek : there are video games and tabletop rpgs for it. Suck it, Trekker.

How are you only “kind of” speaking from first hand experience about dick piercings? It sounds like you actually have one.

(I swear I’m trying really hard not to actually visualize your dick but it’s kind of hard when you keep talking about it.)

On that note, I’ll flirt with damn near anyone so long as they can vote and have a pulse. It doesn’t usually mean anything but if it makes you uncomfortable, tell me and I’ll stop. Or you could flirt back.

You’ve been a tattoo artist for seven years right? Makes sense that you’re pretty unphased by naked people when you put it like that, I guess. Have you ever had to stick your fingers up someone’s nose? What do people get tattooed on their nipples? Seriously, what the actual fuck. And that segue. You gotta tell me exactly what you mean by that segue. Do you have knuckle tats? Do you have more than just your dick pierced? Does attractive roommate Sam have any tattoos? What about the other people in your shop? Best bit of comic book merch you’ve managed to score being able to shop in the kid section?

Bucky

P.S. you’re short and Irish. Are you actually a leprechaun?

\---

Bucky,

You got me. I am actually a leprechaun. I have a pot of gold and shit lucky charms and everything.

Glad I make you laugh. It might be worth all of Sam and Tasha’s gloating. Maybe. They do gloat a lot. They also say you’re very welcome :)

You probably already noticed but I did include a couple of my business cards, including some of the new and improved ones. The number on there is for the shop so don’t call it looking to chat (unless by chatting you’re actually setting up an appointment ;) though you should probably wait ‘til you’re stateside for that anyway. I think Peggy would kill me over the long distance charges). Feel free to pass the boring ones out to your squad. We do a pretty sweet military discount. Tell Clint if he makes an appointment with me (through email!), I’ll send him a matted and framed copy of the dong whisperer business card.

Your have-to-get-a-tattoo tattoo sounds really sweet actually :) I figure it’s safe to assume you’d also have your sister’s initials in it too, right? And like I said, sweet military discount.

Yes, I do have a dick piercing. Two, actually. I’ve got a mini frenum ladder I’ve been debating adding to. The part the “kind of” was for was the bit about being able to have sex pretty much immediately after. That was not a thing I personally did. Too single. Also, it’s hard when you think about my dick, huh? ;) 

Other piercings I have include my navel, nipples, septum, philtrum, bridge, paired high nostrils and paired cheek piercings. I do also have my knuckles tattooed. I’ve got stars on the first space where people usually have words and red lines from my nails up to my middle knuckle, one per finger. They were some of my most recent additions. I’ve been wanting something across my knuckles for ages but I couldn’t think of what (it’s really hard to think of eight letter words) and Peggy laughed so hard when I joked about getting Brooklyn across my knuckles (since it was basically the only thing I liked that was eight letters). I ended up thinking of the stars instead of words when Darcy found out that stars were what I practiced with so I am COVERED with them. She called me the Star Spangled Man so now I’ve got stars and stripes on my fingers like a true American.

Darcy already had her navel done when we hired her. Loki scared the shit out of her when he went all APP member on her the first week or so she was with us. I missed what she said but Loki came storming out of back and demanded she take out the shitty Hot Topic jewelry she was wearing and replace it with some actual body safe material. It was the first and probably the last time I’ve seen her actually surprised into silence and the first time he said anything more than two words to her. Now she’s also got a vertical labret and just last week I tattooed a star on one of her pinkies to match mine. 

Loki’s got stretched lobes, labret and philtrum, pointed ears, horn implants and solid blackwork from his wrists up to his elbows or there about and that’s all I’ve seen.

Peggy, on the other hand, I have seen all of ;) She kind of looks like Kat Von D but less gothy rockabilly and more literally stepped out of the 40’s covered in ink. And British. She’s got even more tattoos than me but no piercings besides her lobes. She’s also got a star from me. It’s on the inside of one of her thighs ;)

Sam’s got a couple of tattoos too but most of them are pretty personal and they’re not my story to tell. No stars from me yet, though I did do his latest one :)

I haven’t had to stick my fingers up someone’s nose but I have had Loki’s fingers up my nose more than once. It’s really strange.

Nipple tattoos are also pretty strange. Most the time people get things around their nipples like mandalas but sometimes people come in to have the shape of their nipples changed with ink that’s a similar color to the areola. Peggy’s the one who does that though. It’s usually really subtle so I have a hard time differentiating the colors.

Best thing I’ve managed to get from the kids section is probably underwear actually. Which sounds really creepy but it’s great because 1, multipacks and 2, lots of nerdy underwear. Otherwise it’s mostly t-shirt and the occasional hoodie. Hoodies can be pretty hit or miss though since I do have wider shoulders than the average eight year old.

Also, suck it nerd, Star Trek has a tabletop rpg system too. And it’s got a game by the great and mighty Bethesda. One that’s not based on the JJ Abrams reboot even. (I had to google all this because I’m not actually hugely into games but there are apparently a ton of Trek based video games.) I’ve been rewatching TOS on Netflix in order instead of catching reruns and it’s incredible. Way ahead of it’s time, which makes trying to watch the reboot really disappointing.

As for that segue… ;)

What did you play in the jazz band? Does your thing for dance music mean you go out clubbing? Where did your dad have his tattoo? Do you know where he got it? The shop I mean. Would you get any piercings? Or any hard mod? What do you cook when you’re at your sister’s? favorite scifi book? favorite fantasy?

All the best,  
Steve

\---

Steve,

I had to google 90% of that holy shit. Then it occurred to me that hey, you’ve got a website on your business card. You’ve got to seriously tell me whether or not I can flirt with you because holy shit, your profile.

New subject.

There are so many clubs out here in the middle of buttfuck no where, Steve. I’m out dancing constantly. That’s all we do here. Which is slightly less of an exaggeration than you might think. It’s entirely possible we did one of those Harlem Shake videos.

I played piano. Still do technically, but it’s been years so I’m probably not very good anymore.

Idk where my dad went to get his tattoo but it was on his chest, more or less over his heart.

Can’t say there are any piercings I’m interested in getting and I have no idea what’s considered a hard mod besides the sort of things you’ve mentioned that have made me cringe. Everyone you work with sound like they look really cool. It’s cute as fuck that you’ve tattooed some of your friends with matching stars.

(Dude why did you tell me so much about your dick? What the fuck was with the wink after you talking about your ex girl’s thigh? Are you trying to make me think of you having sex? ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇

(Ignore that.)

I usually end up cooking, you know, real food when I’m stateside and have access to a real kitchen. I’ll bake bread and cookies and my ma’s cinnamon rolls and whatever I god damned want for dinner.

Favorite book is an asshole question to ask too, even broke up by genre. I’m currently reading City of Darkness, which is about this kid stranded in a dystopian NYC that’s a tourist hot spot for a couple months of the year and a gang run wasteland the rest of the year. LOTR is a great series and I /have/ read the books all the way through, thanks. I already told you that half my shit consists of a shit on of books. Why are you making me pick?

Ass.

Bucky

\---

**James Buchanan Barnes**  
fuck me the guy who’s been writing me is too fucking cute

**Clint Barton**  
in a puppies and kittens are cute way or an I would climb that like a tree way?

**James Buchanan Barnes**  
he’s too short to climb like a tree but basically

**Clint Barton**  
sweet.  
thanks for winning me 20 bucks, bro.

**James Buchanan Barnes**  
you were the one to tell his friend i didn’t get any mail?

**Clint Barton**  
who else?

\---

Bucky,

Since you’ve seen me it’s only fair I get to see you.

Steve

\---

TO : s.g.rogers@sheildink.com  
FROM : jbbarnes1856@gmail.com  
SUBJECT : 

you’re still an ass

Attached : Untitled-1.jpeg

TO : jbbarnes1856@gmail.com  
FROM : protanomalousartist@gmail.com  
SUBJECT :

At least I’m not the one who sends people pictures of themselves making vulgar gestures.

TO : protanomalousartist@gmail.com  
FROM : jbbarnes1856@gmail.com  
SUBJECT : RE:

well you did want a picture of me

> At least I’m not the one who sends people pictures of themselves making vulgar gestures.

\---

TO : jbbarnes1856@gmail.com  
FROM : notifications+oiahdf098itgoidec@facebook.com  
SUBJECT : Steve Rogers has sent you a friend request


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> half of this chapter's wordcount is because of formatting. i'd say sorry but i'm really not.

TO : protanomalousartist@gmail.com  
FROM : jbbarnes1856@gmail.com  
SUBJECT : 

so if darcy had shitty jewelry in her belly button peircing, why did you guys hire her? and wtf makes hot topic jewelry shitty? it’s for body piercings isn’t it?

TO : jbbarnes1856@gmail.com  
FROM : protanomalousartist@gmail.com  
SUBJECT : RE:

Loki’s brother is dating the astrophysicist Darcy interned for so when she found out that Loki is a professional in the modded community she pestered everyone involved into letting her work for us. She’s genuinely interested body mods too, even if she doesn’t want a whole bunch herself. She says it’s really cool how people’s politics and morals influence their views on mods. Plus it’s pretty hard to say no to Thor.

(Yes, his name is actually Thor. Pretty sure I mentioned they’re from like, Norway or something.)

Low quality jewelry is a real problem in the world, according to Loki. The stuff you get from Hot Topic and such is, well, shitty. There’s microscopic blemishes that capture bacteria and damage the fistula and some kinds have chemicals that can leach into your skin and there’s a lot higher nickel content in surgical steel used in low quality jewelry than there is in implant grade steel, which can cause a whole host of other issues all on it’s own. But don’t quote me on any of this. It’s not my area of expertise. The APP does have a pamphlet on it and it’s my duty as a professional in a shop that adheres to the APP standards to link you to it so http://www.safepiercing.org/piercing/jewelry-standards/

That does totally mean I’m writing this at work. Tumblr’s shitting itself so I don’t have much else to do on my lunchbreak ;)

Can we PLEASE talk about something other what I do for work for a little while?

> so if darcy had shitty jewelry in her belly button peircing, why did you guys hire her? and wtf mak...

TO : protanomalousartist@gmail.com  
FROM : jbbarnes1856@gmail.com  
SUBJECT : RE:RE:RE:

but stevie, your work is so much more interesting than mine, especially since you can actually talk about it.

> Loki’s brother is dating the astrophysicist Darcy interned for so when she found out that Loki is …

TO : jbbarnes1856@gmail.com  
FROM : protanomalousartist@gmail.com  
SUBJECT : RE:RE:RE:RE:

You may think so, but I swear to God I go through the same lectures on jewelry and aftercare 300 times a day and that’s WITHOUT counting how often everyone else gives these lectures in earshot.

> but stevie, your work is so much more interesting than mine, especially since you can actually t…

TO : protanomalousartist@gmail.com  
FROM : jbbarnes1856@gmail.com  
SUBJECT : RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:

well i haven’t heard the lectures yet

> You may think so, but I swear to God I go through the same lectures on jewelry and aftercare 30…

TO : jbbarnes1856@gmail.com  
FROM : protanomalousartist@gmail.com  
SUBJECT : RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:

Well, come in and get something and you can hear all our lectures.

> well i haven’t heard the lectures yet

TO : protanomalousartist@gmail.com  
FROM : jbbarnes1856@gmail.com  
SUBJECT : RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:

maybe i will

> Well, come in and get something and you can hear all our lectures.

TO : jbbarnes1856@gmail.com  
FROM : protanomalousartist@gmail.com  
SUBJECT : RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:

Good.

> maybe i will

TO : protanomalousartist@gmail.com  
FROM : jbbarnes1856@gmail.com  
SUBJECT : RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:

fine

> Good.

TO : jbbarnes1856@gmail.com  
FROM : protanomalousartist@gmail.com  
SUBJECT : RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:

Jerk.

> fine

TO : protanomalousartist@gmail.com  
FROM : jbbarnes1856@gmail.com  
SUBJECT : RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:

punk

> Jerk.

\---

 **Darcy Lewis**  
look at these fucking dorks omfg -- with [Steve Rogers](%E2%80%9D%E2%80%9D) at [SHEILDink](%E2%80%9D%E2%80%9D)

[](http://imgur.com/on2yYxC)

Like - Comment - Share

[Natasha Romanoff](%E2%80%9D%E2%80%9D), [Jane Foster](%E2%80%9D%E2%80%9D), [Margaret Carter](%E2%80%9D%E2%80%9D), and [4 others](%E2%80%9D%E2%80%9D) like this.

**Natasha Romanoff**  
[Clint Barton](%E2%80%9D%E2%80%9D)

**Steve Rogers**  
Do I even want to know how you got this?

 **Margaret Carter**  
You should know better than to leave your phone unattended around her dear.

 **Darcy Lewis**  
especially unlocked  >:3c

 **Peter Parker**  
jsyk steve my rates for weddings are very affordable. are you guys thinking spring? cos you look like a spring bride steve

 **Darcy Lewis**  
fuCK I CANT AOSIDFHAODGIHOH pete ur perf

 **Steve Rogers**  
Fuck you guys.

 **James Buchanan Barnes**  
seconded

 **Margaret Carter**  
He called you stevie darling and you let him.

 **James Buchanan Barnes**  
at one point in time i called him the dong whisperer. stevies a bit of a step up imo

 **Darcy Lewis**  
i like u. were keeping u i hope you realize

 **Clint Barton**  
i’ll have you all know i was the one who came up with dong whisperer

 **Natasha Romanoff**  
we may be convinced to keep you too clint

 **Clint Barton**  
thx i appreciate it

 **Darcy Lewis**  
omfg

 **Sam Wilson**  
do i even want to kno???

 **Darcy Lewis**  
i want to kno!!! tell me steeb y r u the dong whisperer?????

 **Darcy Lewis**  
steeeeeb come on tell me

 **Darcy Lewis**  
im gonna ask u all day tomorrow i hope you know

 **James Buchanan Barnes**  
he kept talking about his dick

 **Darcy Lewis**  
steve u perv

 **Darcy Lewis**  
pics or it didnt happen

 **Steve Rogers**  
It wasn’t MY dick. It was dick mods.

 **Darcy Lewis**  
ahaha steeb i c u over there you sure are red :3333

 **James Buchanan Barnes**  
probably because there was a lot about his dick too

 **Darcy Lewis**  
i still say pics or it didn’t happen

 **James Buchanan Barnes**  
unfortunately i dont have any pics of his dick

 **Loki Laufeyson**  
I do believe I could be of some assistance in this matter.

\---

TO : jbbarnes1856@gmail.com  
FROM : notifications+aosdi0o9r5hb@facebook.com  
SUBJECT : Darcy Lewis has sent you a friend request

TO : jbbarnes1856@gmail.com  
FROM : notifications+oi349tgndeigh@facebook.com  
SUBJECT : Margaret Carter has sent you a friend request

TO : jbbarnes1856@gmail.com  
FROM : notifications+309adfihaodifh@facebook.com  
SUBJECT : Natasha Romanoff has sent you a friend request

\---

 **James Buchanan Barnes**  
got friend requests from your three best girls  
should i be preparing myself to get a shovel talk?

 **Steve Rogers**  
No.  
Maybe.  
Who exactly are you talking about?

 **James Buchanan Barnes**  
darcy, natasha and margaret

 **Steve Rogers**  
Peggy.  
Yeah, probably.  
Apparently Natasha and Clint are playing matchmaker :T

 **James Buchanan Barnes**  
yeah i heard  
clint won 20 bucks

 **Steve Rogers**  
Really?  
Natasha didn’t tell me that.  
What’d he win it for?

 **James Buchanan Barnes**  
uh  
idk actually  
because i think you’re attractive i guess?  
which is a pretty smart bet for him to make there aren’t many people i don’t find attractive somehow.

 **Steve Rogers**  
Thought you said everyone you see on a day to day basis got  
What was it?  
Ah yes.  
Hit with the ugly stick.

 **James Buchanan Barnes**  
its all the khaki

\---

 **Steve Rogers**  
You’re a terrible person and you should feel bad.

 **Natasha Romanoff**  
i dont know what youre talking about (◡‿◡✿)

 **Steve Rogers**  
Yes you do.  
I don’t appreciate.

 **Natasha Romanoff**  
yes you do (☉‿☉✿)

\---

 **Steve Rogers**  
Why did you show Natasha those weird Japanese emotes?  
That’s all she uses now.

 **Darcy Lewis**  
huehuehue

\---

 **Steve Rogers**  
All my friends are jerks.

 **Sam Wilson**  
hey now  
i thought you knew this already

 **Steve Rogers**  
Yeah.  
Natasha had a bet running with the guy she knows in Bucky’s unit over which one of us would think the other is attractive first or something.  
Apparently.

 **Sam Wilson**  
thats just the start of it

 **Steve Rogers**  
Don’t tell me you’re in on it too.

 **Sam Wilson**  
that bet was who would admit that they thought the other was hot first.  
pizza’s on me pal. i bet you’d do the whole artist aesthetic thing ;D

 **Steve Rogers**  
Thanks.  
Asshole.

 **Sam Wilson**  
hey who’s buying you pizza?  
me  
i am  
:P  
but really dude, you know you’re a stubborn shit when it comes to people you like, right?  
and we’re assholes

 **Steve Rogers**  
Thanks for admitting it, at least.  
Natasha just gave me those emotes.

 **Sam Wilson**  
np

\---

 **James Buchanan Barnes**  
so.  
why does loki have a picture of your dick?

 **Steve Rogers**  
It’s for his portfolio.

 **James Buchanan Barnes**  
uuuuh…..

 **Steve Rogers**  
For the piercings.  
He’s the one who did mine.

 **James Buchanan Barnes**  
i still cant believe youve got your dick pierced  
cant believe your friend not only touched your dick to shove a needle through it but also took a picture too

 **Steve Rogers**  
On more than one occasion ;D

 **James Buchanan Barnes**  
????

 **Steve Rogers**  
Well, I do have two down there. They weren’t done at the same time.  
For a while I had different jewelry in the first one too, but I switched it out after the second healed up.

 **James Buchanan Barnes**  
i think i might regret this but how many pictures of your dick is in his portfolio??

 **Steve Rogers**  
Only one is actually in his port right now, I think.  
All in all there have been a lot of pictures taken of my dick.

 **James Buchanan Barnes**  
and theyre on the internet, arent they?

 **Steve Rogers**  
You could find them pretty easily if you wanted. They’re on our shop’s tumblr.  
And I think Peter has some things of me up on his tumblr too.

\---

 **Steve Rogers**  
Help.  
Somehow every conversation I have with bucky involves my dick.

 **Margaret Carter**  
And you’re going along with this are you?

 **Steve Rogers**  
Well, mostly it’s about my mods.

 **Margaret Carter**  
Mostly.

 **Steve Rogers**  
I am always happy to talk mods.  
What do you mean, “mostly”?

 **Margaret Carter**  
Quoting you darling. Rather why did you use mostly?

 **Steve Rogers**  
He asked me why Loki has pictures.

 **Margaret Carter**  
Is that all?

 **Steve Rogers**  
Yes.

 **Margaret Carter**  
Really now.

 **Steve Rogers**  
Yes!

 **Margaret Carter**  
Mostly.

**Steve Rogers**  
_**James Buchanan Barnes** _  
_so._  
_why does loki have a picture of your dick?_

_**Steve Rogers** _  
_It’s for his portfolio._

_**James Buchanan Barnes** _  
_uuuuh….._

_**Steve Rogers** _  
_For the piercings._  
_He’s the one who did mine._

_**James Buchanan Barnes** _  
_i still cant believe youve got your dick pierced_  
_cant believe your friend not only touched your dick to shove a needle through it but also took a picture too_

_**Steve Rogers** _  
_On more than one occasion ;D_

_**James Buchanan Barnes** _  
_????_

_**Steve Rogers** _  
_Well, I do have two down there. They weren’t done at the same time._  
_For a while I had different jewelry in the first one too, but I switched it out after the second healed up._

_**James Buchanan Barnes** _  
_i think i might regret this but how many pictures of your dick is in his portfolio??_

_**Steve Rogers** _  
_Only one is actually in his port right now, I think._  
_All in all there have been a lot of pictures taken of my dick._

_**James Buchanan Barnes** _  
_and theyre on the internet, arent they?_

_**Steve Rogers** _  
_You could find them pretty easily if you wanted. They’re on our shop’s tumblr._  
_And I think Peter has some things of me up on his tumblr too._

**Margaret Carter**  
I see.  
Flirting quite a bit there Rogers.

 **Steve Rogers**  
I am not!

 **Margaret Carter**  
You really are.

 **Steve Rogers**  
No, I’m not.

 **Margaret Carter**  
You all but dare him to go find pictures of your penis love. If that’s not flirting I don't know what is.

 **Steve Rogers**  
That’s definitely not flirting.  
You’ve seen those pictures!  
They are not the kind of pictures you send to someone you’re flirting with.

 **Margaret Carter**  
I don’t know…  
The one in Loki’s port is rather cute. It does a good job of showing off the little stars on your hips and thighs.

 **Steve Rogers**  
Cute is not the word I want Bucky associating with my penis.

 **Margaret Carter**  
AHA!

 **Steve Rogers**  
Fuck.  
That is not what I meant.

 **Margaret Carter**  
Sure it wasn’t ;D

\---

 **James Buchanan Barnes**  
gonna have to go back to just letters for a while  
already sent you a new one

\---

Steve --

I’ll send you a message on Facebook too, but I’ll be, well, not exactly in a position to be online anywhere for a while, so back to letters it is. Sorry I can’t tell you much more than that.

I like your friends (and coworkers, I guess). It’s been really cool seeing posts about tattoos and stuff on my feed. I’m starting to think I might actually go through with getting a replica of my da’s tattoo. At some point. Maybe even by you ;)

I started a new book. Or a new series really -- I’m already almost done with the first book. It’s a reimagining of WWI with crazy steampunk mecha and genetically engineered animals. It’s really cool, and it’s actually a kids series (somehow) so it’s illustrated (which really makes me question why it’s a kid series ‘cause some of the illustrations are terrifying.) You might like it too. It’s got a lot of history and a lot of weirdness and the drawings are really cool (even if they’re terrifying.)

Fuck, it’s hard going back to writing letters after being able to instant message.

How about you walk me through your average day? And I guess I’ll tell you what I do when I’m stateside in return.

I’m stationed out of Jersey (gross, I know) so when I’m not deployed, I get to sleep on my sister’s couch. She goes to school in the city proper but her apartment is, well, I can’t exactly tell you where but it is a reasonable commute for both of us. (I’m unfortunately one of the ones who can’t say much so nobody knows exactly where I am without proper clearance. I get the feeling you know all about that with Natasha though.)

I do a lot of paperwork when I’m stateside, and by a lot I mean I must fill out damn near an entire novel’s worth. These letters are probably going to be real helpful with that since they’ll keep my writing muscles at the ready :)

At least once, I’ll go play laser tag with everyone in my unit still in the New York area. NIt gets pretty intense, since we’re all, you know, heavily trained military personnel. We always have to split into three teams instead of two because there are three sharp shooters among us and that’s the only way to keep it fair for everybody else. Winning team pays for jack shit when we go out to drink after.

I like to sit in coffee shops or parks people watching when I’m not doing anything else. It’s… nice seeing the people I’m over here protecting safe and happy.

Besides a rundown of your average day, tell me about a book you’ve read recently? And the funniest story about one of your various health issues. And idk, what’s it like being colorblind and an artist?

Bucky  
\---

Bucky --

There’s not really a whole lot I can say about being colorblind. I’ve always been like this so it’s normal for me. I don’t see in black and white though. I’m just red colorblind so I see colors, just not like most people. I’ve learned to compensate so being an artist isn’t that hard and I do a lot of work with pretty limited pallets so it’s… normal for me. What’s it like not being colorblind?

(I do tend to run new color pallets past Peggy before I use them though, to make sure it’s “correct” for the average viewer.)

My days tend to go as follows : wake up sometime around nine in the morning, make a pot of coffee (dark roast; less caffeine, better flavor), shower, drink coffee while I go through various social media platforms, exercise, get dressed, eat something, then I head into the shop for work. Work consists of consults and a lot of thumbnailing and between five and ten appointments. About once a week, we all go out for a late dinner after closing up. Then I go home and sleep and wake up to do it all over again :)

Your time stateside sounds a lot more interesting than my day to day life. We never go play laser tag! (We should though. We’d be terrible at it ahahah.)

I don’t read a whole lot of novels these days. Not a whole lot of down time anymore, besides time spent on public transport, which I can’t use to read since I get motion sick. I honestly can’t remember the last novel I read. I mostly end up reading various body mod journals :T

I have a lot of pretty hilarious (to me) stories involving my many health issues. I’m anemic and I have high blood pressure and the first time I got my dick pierced I bled way more than Loki or I had anticipated and I had low blood sugar and the stars were in alignment so I fainted and slid right off the table. Peggy has this great picture of Loki cradling my limp, pantsless body with this look of complete horror on his face. There was blood everywhere and I looked like death warmed over. I woke up maybe a minute later to them arguing over whether they should call an ambulance or just drive me to the hospital (Loki wanted the ambulance because a man does NOT bleed from his penis without there being something really, really wrong, but Peggy, having been my best girl, was more familiar with my health and, you know, bleeding from the crotch.) In the end, I had them call Peter to bring me pizza and clean pants and cancel my appointments for the day and I hung out at the front counter laughing my ass off for the rest of the day. Next time we were prepared and I laid down with my ass on some pillows so my dick would be above my heart. It went fine that time so I could totally get more if I wanted.

And with that…

All the best,

Steve

\---

Steve --

How the fuck do we always circle back to talking about your dick? ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ 

Funny to you is definitely right for that story. I think I woulda shat myself if I had been there. I can’t believe Loki was willing to pierce you again after that, let alone pierce your dick again. Why would you chance passing out again with your dick out? (For that matter why would you pierce your dick at all??)

So you watch plenty of tv but you don’t read any books? That’ll rot your brain you know.

Your usual day sounds interesting to me. You have a lot less paperwork to fill out than me, at least.

Laser tag is a lot of fun for us. We don’t take it all that serious like we would training but we’re all very competitive, especially our three sharpshooters. You should totally go with everyone you work with. It’s a great team bonding exercise.

“What’s it like not being colorblind” is a good question. I can see why you couldn’t really tell me what it’s like actually being colorblind. I guess seeing all the colors normally is like having tunnel vision. You see it but you don’t really pay attention. It’s all just background information.

What’s your favorite tattoo that you’ve done on someone recently? Where did you go for dinner the last time you went out? How’s the weather? Do you bring lunch to work or buy food from nearby? What kind of exercises do you do?

Bucky  
\---

Bucky --

My dick is great is why ;) My question is what’s under all that black scribbling?

The thing about being disabled (and I am disabled. Invisible disabilities are still valid disabilities) you either laugh and make jokes or you wallow in your misery. Everything I have I’ve had since birth (well, except the ‘betus) so I’ve had a long time to learn how to make the best of whatever situation my health leaves me in. That’s not to say it doesn’t suck. Being disabled definitely sucks a lot and I used to be really angry at my body for being so limiting of, well, everything, but I realized that being angry didn’t do anything so I might as well make myself happy.

Hence all the body mods.

I got my first frenum piercing because I was curious really. Loki did the second one anyway because I was definitely not the first person to have a bad reaction to being pierced (though I think i’m the only one to cover him in dick blood) and I risked a bad reaction getting the second because, frankly, I really enjoy them in, you know, a sexual way.

TV is great for listening to while I draw and really, I don’t watch that much TV. Maybe an episode or two of something a night. Plus TV requires less brain power than reading. I spend all day visualizing things for people, you know.

Not actively noticing color is definitely a universal thing. I didn’t actually realize I was colorblind until middle school, since, like I said, I do see color, just differently.

One of my favorite clients dropped by recently and I got to add to her sleeves a little. She’s been coming in for the last couple of years to work on full sleeves of nothing but stars. She started with just one star on the inside of her wrist for a birthday and she keeps coming back for more. It’s the first time she’s been buy since Peggy did my fingers and she thought it was such a cool idea. She kind of wants to do something similar eventually. Adding stars to her isn’t all that spectacular technically, since hers are really simple, but she’s a great gal and she’s always fun to work on.

I’m also designing this big old school chest piece for a guy. He actually spotted me on the street and asked who did the eagle I have on my throat (like a true American) because it’s a lot like what he had in mind. Naturally, I gave him my card since it was my design (that Peggy did the actual tattooing of, since, you know, it’s on my throat.) He came by a couple of days later for a consult so I’ve been working on incorporating his family crest into this big old school thing. Other than that, I’ve been either doing little one offs for people or continuing work on some of my clients’ bigger pieces, which I’ve already spent 14+ on in some cases so they've already lost the new piece appeal.

We went and got sushi this last time. The time before this, we got burgers. I’ll definitely suggest laser tag as employee bonding time, maybe followed by a (presumably well earned) dinner with the losers covering our tab.

I mostly do careful cardio to keep my heart in shape. I’ve also got some physical therapy stretches to help with back pain from being an artist with scoliosis. Nothing too hardcore. You’ve seen photos of me on facebook. I’m not exactly ripped. I leave that sort of thing to people like you and Sam, ahaha.

Since Sam is the BIGGEST Hufflepuff and therefore cooks SO MUCH FOOD I usually bring lunch for at least myself. Sometimes we have so many leftovers I’ll bring some for everybody else too. Being a body mod artist seems pretty glamourous but we don’t actually make that much money.

(Part of that might be from us constantly getting new mods but after material costs and shop upkeep, there’s not a huge amount left.)

The weather’s been pretty nice here lately. I’m hoping it starts actually feeling like spring soon.

All the best,

Steve

\---

Steve --

Don’t say I didn’t warn you but you did ask. I crossed out a fair chunk of the start of my last letter because I thought better of telling you I don’t exactly mind thinking about your dick, or about any bit of you really. You’re gorgeous Stevie, and funny as sin and I really love getting letters from you and, well, I’m not exactly straight as an arrow here.

Your friendship is more important than my crush though.

Yours,

Bucky


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this has been sitting on in my docs complete for SO LONG NOW orz

Bucky --

Do you think maybe I bring up my dick so much because I WANT you to think about it?

… Wow, I am the worst at flirting. How about this : James Buchanan Barnes, I think you’re real swell too and I’m flattered you like thinking about my dick.

That’s not much better actually. Oh well. Are these letters, like, screened for sensitive information leaks? Because if they are I am SO SORRY we talk about my dick so much.

I really like getting letters from you too so don’t you dare quit on me. And for the record, I’m not exactly straight either. I’m pretty dang bi, in case it wasn’t obvious.

Yours too, if you want.

Steve

P.S. Do I get to think about your dick too?

\---

Stevie --

This has got to be the strangest way two fellas have asked each other out. Yes, you can think about my dick too, if you want. It’s probably not as interesting as yours though.

So uh, you say you’ll spend 14+ hours on one person’s tattoo? How? That seems like an awful long time. And are you planning on getting any new mods? Sorry, this is less of a letter and more of a note but I’m kind of stuck on you wanting to think about my dick (oh man, we’re the worst at this)

Yours,

Bucky

\---

Bucky --

We are definitely terrible. I’m okay with this if you are ;)

If I’m designing a piece from scratch, I usually end up putting at least a couple hours into something before I even put ink to skin. I’m definitely not one of the artists that’s great at freehanding things. Small stuff, sure, but I definitely like having all of the bigger pieces I do well thought out beforehand. For the guy who approached me because of my throat tattoo, I’ve put in about six hours designing his chest piece and it’ll take probably another four or so to do the lines and at least that long to color. I’ve had a couple of really big pieces that I’ve put over thirty hours into all told. I know I’ll never be perfect but if my art is going to permanently be on someone’s skin, I want it to hold up to the test of time.

Here’s my dick again, but I’m perpetually kicking around adding to my mini ladder (since it’s only got two rungs, it’s not much of a ladder yet). I’ve also got some space still on the back of my right forearm I want to fill in with something but I haven’t decided on what. Darcy says the obvious choice is more stars, but that’s what I did to fill in the same spot on my other arm. Have you put any more thought into getting mods of your own? Now that we’re more or less officially dating (maybe?), I get to tell you that you would look incredible with body mods (but then, I’ve got a huge bias. It’s an occupational hazard; I think everyone looks incredible modded. Not to say you aren’t already gorgeous, ‘cause you are, but even if we were just friends I’d still fantasize about giving you full sleeves. Like I said though, I’m biased.)

I also definitely want to think about your dick. I’m pretty interested in thinking about all of you though, and your dick most definitely factors into things.

So if these letters are screened, screener person, please look away for like five lines.

I’ve totally had to work at NOT thinking about you while I jerk off for a while now. Which I really hope comes off as flattering instead of creepy, but seriously, you’re gorgeous.

And on that thoroughly embarrassing note…

All the best,

Yours,

Steve

P.S. I’m so sorry.

\---

Stevie, do you have any shame at all?? Telling me you think about me when you jerk off before we even go on a date! I’m scandalized! And definitely flattered ;)

Spending so much time on one thing is really impressive, Steve. I’d say I wouldn’t have the patience but thinking about it, there’s at least a few things I’ve put that much time and effort into, and some of them I can even talk about. I use homemade starter to bake bread and it’s basically a pet all on its own ‘cause I have to feed it every day. It was pretty time consuming to get started but well worth it. I make the best fucking homemade sourdough you’ll ever have. I’ll make you a loaf next time I’m stateside.  
Thirty hours on one tattoo is still really impressive. What’s the longest you’ve spent on one tattoo? The shortest?

Do you have any pin up tattoos? Those are pretty old school. Seems like quite the staple to me, in fact. More stars could be cool too. Ain’t nothing wrong with symmetry.

I think I might actually want a recreation of my dad’s tattoo. All your talk about mods have really warmed me up to the idea. I don’t think I’m quite ready to commit to anything like full sleeves though. Care to give me a quote, doll? And maybe tell me what other sorts of things you could see me with, in your professional opinion?

If you do add to your dick piercings, well, I’d say don’t hurt yourself but that’s kind of the point, huh? Try not to bleed out though. Would it be weird if I asked for a link to the picture in Loki’s portfolio? Not exactly for wank material but I would like to know what I’m getting myself into. By which I mean I totally want to touch your dick.

Your boyfriend,

Bucky

ps we’re totally dating. No take backsies.

\---

Bucky -- 

Glad we’ve established the fact that we’re definitely dating and that we want to touch each other where our bathing suits cover, because the only way you get to touch mine is if I get to touch yours too.

I’ll send you a link to the picture on facebook. It’s not exactly the most flattering picture of my junk out there but it does show nicely healed, well placed piercings, which is the important part. I promise I won’t bleed out if I get another one though. Loki IS good at his job.

An exact quote depends a lot on some factors like size and placement and design so I can’t give you anything concrete without an in person consult, but 300-400 is about average for the sort of thing you’re thinking on.

As for things I think would look good on you… I may not subscribe to the idea that all mods should have deep personal meaning, but mods are still a pretty personal thing. Usually I have at least a theme or some elements to work my designs off. I’ll definitely have to give you a star eventually. Since you’re a big fan of scifi, maybe some robotics? I’m not too great with the metallic looking tattoos but I know a guy and it could be cool to turn you into a cyborg. We could also do old school interpretations of some of your favourite nerdy things.

I think you need a lightsaber on the inside of your forearm. It’s been decided.

I don’t have any pin ups but I do agree that they’re a staple in the old school look. I don’t think one will look very good in the spot I have free on my arm. I’ll see what Peggy thinks though.

Hm, maybe I could do a pinup girl riding a bomb down? That might work. Or I could get just a bomb with “Slim Pickens” written on it in fancy script, since that’s one of my favourite Offspring songs. I kind of like that idea, thanks :)

The longest I’ve spent on one tattoo is… a really long time. I did a girl with a full back piece that went into half sleeves. It was a willow tree with flowers and fairies and it was really fun because it was WAY outside of my usual comfort zone. First, I spent an hour or two on thumbnails for individual parts and then I spent a couple hours looking up reference images, then I drew it all out after we decided on the exact composition and THAT took about ten hours. Then we did three sessions for the lines, five hours for each arm and six and a half for the back then almost a dozen three hour sessions for colour… Almost seventy hours? I’ve spent that much, if not more, time on other clients but most people don’t exactly come in planning for half body tattoos all that often. Usually, people build up that much coverage over time through lots of smaller tattoos.

The smallest amount of time I’ve spent on a tattoo, besides some of mine, is the star I did on Darcy. That took maybe five minutes, including the time to wrap her finger up.

I’ve been drawing since I was a kid, so I’ve gotten in a lot of practice at being patient with my work. Spending 30+ hours on a single drawing is actually really relaxing for me. I spend 8-10 hours a day drawing for work and I still come home and work on personal projects for an hour or two. That’s what I do while watching TV :)

Your bread sounds really good. I try not to eat too much bread since bread=carbs=sugar which is bad for me, but fancy organic bread spikes my blood sugar less than normal bread, so maybe homemade bread will be even better. How do you keep the starter alive when you’re deployed? Do you start a new one every time you're home? Also, I’m going to hold you to that. I’ll trade you bread for… a tiny star ahahah :)

And no, I have no shame ;) I tattoo naked people for a living and I’ve spent most of my life being prodded by doctors and then by fellow mod professionals. Plus I’m pretty darn attractive, if I do say so myself. That means I have absolutely no reason to be shy ;) I promise, you can take me out before we get too far in person ;)

All the best,

Yours,

Steve

P.S. Your letters are perfectly fine in length. Any length is the perfect length if it’s from you <3

\---

Stevie, you are the sweetest boyfriend a fella could ask for. I’ll definitely take you out on the town before I try and get fresh with you, promise. My momma raised me right, after all, and you’re totally worth the wait.

The starter is basically flour and water and such and when it’s out on the counter it’s active and it grows but if it’s in the fridge, it stays stagnant until I come back.

I’ll totally trade you a loaf of bread for a tiny star :) Hell, I’d be happy to trade you a loaf for a kiss from my boyfriend. And then some, if you know what I mean ;)

Luckily enough, I got a few minutes on the internet the other day so I got the link. Took forever to load anything so idk if you got my reply so let me tell you, I am totally down to touching dicks with you. Really not a sexy picture but.. how did you put it? Where your bathing suit covers is very nice. I’m looking forward to getting to see your tattoos up close and personal, if that’s alright with you. Looking forward to getting familiar with your piercings too…

That’s really expensive. I’d say “for a tattoo” but I’m nowhere near as experienced with tattoos as you are. Do you have anything open, say, end of June? Or a little later would be fine. I really do think I’m gonna go through with it, and not just because I want your hands all over me.

I like the idea of getting a lightsaber tattoo too. That sounds like my kind of nerd tattoo. Would you be able to do it in an old school style? I do want to get a replica of my da’s tattoo first but maybe once I’m out I’ll let you ink me up. Becoming a robot sounds pretty cool too but that still might be a bit too much for me at this point.

Where would you tattoo your star on me?

A pinup girl on a bomb sounds incredible. I’d get that done. Maybe. At some point in the distant future, lol. The Offspring version would be cool too. I can’t say I’ve heard the song though.

Your fairy tree client is one dedicated dame. 70 hours on one tattoo is insane. Do you have pictures in your portfolio?

Do you still have any drawings you did as a kid? What do you draw for yourself? Will you draw something for me sometime?

Yours,

Bucky

\---

Bucky,

I enclosed a couple of doodles for you to hold onto. Figured it would be easier to show you what an old school lightsaber tattoo would look like than to try and explain. Really, if you can think of something, you can design an old school tattoo for it.

I draw all sorts of things. Always have. I drew a ton of super heroes as a kid, all the way through to college. I occasionally draw fanart still. It’s a lot of fun to do. I usually draw portraits of my friends or landscapes in my downtime; things different from my work drawings. Gotta keep a well rounded skillset! Portraits are my favourite to do. My friends are all gorgeous, you know. You’re included in this too, by the way, especially since your sister has been real helpful in supplying me with pictures of you to draw from :)

I do have a lot of my sketchbooks from most of my life. I don’t have every single thing I’ve ever drawn but my ma was so proud of my drawings so she kept a bunch of things. Most of them are in storage though. I can never decide if I actually want to keep all the physical copies of my old stuff or not.

I do have her tattoo up in my port. I’ve sent you another link so you can take a look when you can. She was very dedicated though. Along the ribs is one of the most painful places to get a tattoo and the inside of the upper arm ain't no picnic either.

I’ll have you youtube the Offspring song when you have regular access to the internet again. The full title is “Slim Pickins Does The Right Thing And Rides The Bomb To Hell”. It’s off one of their newer albums. There is totally a reason I’d put Slim Pickins on a bomb and that reason is he does the right thing and rides the bomb to hell, ahaha. I could even fill in some of the space at my wrist with flames. Choosing between a pin up girl and the Slim Pickins bomb is really hard though. Imagine if I based the girl off Peggy? Especially since she’s the one who’d be doing it, since the space is on my dominant arm. Whichever one I do, you could do the other :)

I’d be happy to tattoo a star on you wherever you’d like it. The specific where for your I’m-friends-with-Steve-Rogers star tattoo is up to you. You’re a blank canvas so the sky’s the limit.

I do have plenty of free slots available from the end of June onwards. Does that mean you’ll be home around then? Give me some concrete days when you know them and I’ll pencil you in :)

All the best,

Yours,

Steve

P.S. I’m glad you want to touch me where my bathing suit covers even after seeing my piercings ;)

\---

Steve --

Yeah, I’ll be stateside beginning of June through September. Can't give you a specific date for when I can hit you up for a tattoo until I’m back since it might be easiest if I put in for leave. That way, I can give myself some time to heal up. Plus then we could do some things about the whole bathing suit area thing ;)

Basing the pin up on Peggy could be really cool. What does she think about the whole thing? I really like the sound of the Offspring version too. The flame sounds especially cool and it really seems like something that’d fit in with the rest of your tattoos (from what I’ve seen so far), maybe even better than the pin up would.

Both the lightsaber tattoo designs you sent me are amazing. How am I supposed to pick one? Also, doodles my ass. I’m going to frame these and there ain't nothing you can do about it. Seriously Stevie, you’re amazing.

I’d love to see some of the non-tattoo things you’ve drawn. We’ll have to spend a night in listening to music and looking at art. Maybe order in. You know good places in DC that deliver, right? Take out is essential to my master seduction plan.

Yours,

Bucky

ps I got an app for my phone that makes it so I can send texts via the internet. That’s how I’ve been talking to Becca recently. Have her message you my number.

\---

Steve : Testing, 1, 2, 3.  
Bucky : haha very funny. steve?  
Steve : Yep.  
Steve : How’s the desert treating you?  
Bucky : same old. there’s sun. there’s sand.  
Steve : Sounds fun.  
Steve : I sent you another letter by the way.  
Bucky : cool. i’m looking forward to getting it :)

Steve : So your sister mentioned your mom’s snickerdoodle recipe and it sounded great so she sent me the recipe and I thought it would be cool to make a double batch to share and now we’ve got so many fucking cookies.  
Steve : Want some?  
Bucky : oh god please.  
Steve : Good. Just leaving the post office now. I’ve included some other goodies for you too :)  
Steve : Sam helped with ideas of stuff to put in, by the way, so it should all be good stuff.  
Bucky : i’ll be sure to thank him. you too, dollface.  
Steve : Dollface?  
Steve : Really?  
Bucky : really. i could think of something better if you don’t like it, sugar.  
Bucky : sweetpea.  
Bucky : baby doll  
Bucky : cutie pie  
Bucky : honey bunch  
Steve : Ahahaha wow Buck :P  
Bucky : you love it.  
Steve : I do <3  
Steve : But you keep making me blush and Darcy swears we’re up to no good.  
Steve : She keeps trying to steal my phone.  
Bucky: lol  
Steve : I’m not sure which is worse…  
Steve : Her thinking we’re sexting  
Steve : Or her seeing all the gross pet names

\---

Bucky,

You don’t know your own phone number, do you? I did get it from your sister by the way, hopefully successfully. You’ll probably know that before you get this letter though, unless I got the wrong number, since I have already texted you :P

I do know plenty of places that deliver, don’t worry. Ordering in and listening to music sounds like a real swell date, Buck. I’m looking forward to it :)

Peggy laughed her ass off when I showed her the doodle of her as my pin up. She really likes the idea of it too. She’s suggested outfits for me to put tattoo her into if I do go with this design. I think we’ve decided on her in her red bikini. With a baseball bat, which is also a thing from the song, by the way :)

Tattoos don't need much time before you go on with your life. Same with piercings really. Basically, you just have to not pick at them and they’ll heal just fine (provided they’re done correctly in the first place, of course). Hard mods definitely need some downtime after, but besides the itching, you’ll be fine to continue your paperwork immediately after. I have to say though, I’d definitely prefer having you in DC for a couple of days instead of just a couple of hours ;) I’ll send you a text about it after you reply to my first one, but if there’s a day you usually have free, we could pencil you in and you could do a day trip, and then you could visit while you’re on leave.

I’m glad you like the designs :) Having options is definitely great and I always try to give a couple different compositions to every client. Depending on how big you want it, either would be a good option, in my professional opinion. The long one would work great as a piece to take up the entire inside of the forearm but the circular one would be great if you wanted it as a smaller tattoo.

Counting down the days ‘til summer.

All the best,

Yours,

Steve

\---

Steve : OH! I forget.  
Steve : It’s already in the letter I sent, if you’ve got it already, but I just remembered again.  
Steve : Would you want to come to DC for the day so I can do your tattoo and then come again when you’re on leave just to visit?  
Bucky : i just got your letter today actually. that sounds like a pretty good idea. can’t wait to have your hands all over me <3  
Steve : Looking forward to it too, Buck <3

\---

Bucky,

I Can’t believe that this is somehow the first care package I’ve sent you. How long have we been writing back and forth? Months and months and months. Anyway, here are your fucking cookies. I can't believe that recipe made so fucking many or that I thought it’d be a good idea to make a double batch of them. Sam and I are so glad you wanted some because we are seriously drowning in all these fucking cookies. They’re delicious by the way. You were awful lucky to grow up with them.

Since I just sent you a letter, I’ll keep this short. Enjoy the cookies and the socks and all the rest of the goodies.

All the best,

Yours,

Steve

\---

Steve -

Did you actually make me a mix cd? I can’t fucking believe you made me a mix cd. That is the absolute cutest shit ever. Or it would be, if it wasn’t all angry punk music. (Well, mostly angry punk music. That song about the postman is really cute and irritatingly catchy.)

Hm, well, okay. It’s still really fucking cute. You’re adorable and thanks to you, everybody keeps giving me so much shit (which is hilariously dumb since we all like the cd. There’s only two sappy songs on it anyway. Nothing to warrant this much teasing, besides the fact that it’s a mix tape from my boyfriend <3)

The cookies were pretty good and barely even stale. Tell Sam thanks for the socks and chocolate, since I’m sure he suggested that. It gets surprisingly cold here at night so more socks are always appreciated, especially thick ones like those. I’ve shared the wealth and Kate says if I don’t marry you, she will, so fair warning.

I can see how the different designs would each be better suited for different reasons. I think I like the idea of the long one taking up my entire forearm.

Look at what you’ve done to me, Steve. I’m actually seriously considering getting this silly lightsaber idea as a huge tattoo and it’s all your fault, you terrible person you. I’m even thinking on what else I’d want.

I think I might like having your star on the meat of my shoulder where your… well, i’m not sure what it’s supposed to be. A patriotic target? Anyway, where that one is on you. If I do a red lightsaber (which, btw, are not Sith exclusive) then a red star would match and it would all look pretty old school, right?

I’ll text you as soon as I have some more specific dates.

Yours,

Bucky

\---

Bucky,

I’ll turn you into a mod enthusiast, just you wait and see. You’re not doing too bad as it is. A red star to match the red lightsaber would look great. You’ve learned well, young padawan :)

The tattoo on my left shoulder is actually a shield, but a patriotic target isn’t all that wrong either. I was really sick pretty much all the time when I was a kid, which is how I got started drawing, and at one point I made a superhero. He fights with a shield and protects people from bullies and other sorts of bad guys and he’s red, white and blue because my birthday is July 4th (and I am SO amazingly creative). His arch nemesis is a Nazi skeleton because I was a ten year old who didn’t do much else besides draw and watch the History Channel. I ended up drawing comics of him for most of my teenagerhood and it ended up being really important to me so I got the sheild as a tattoo pretty early on. It’s one of the few tattoos I have with “deep personal meaning”, even if that deep personal meaning is really dorky, ahahaha. You can't say shit about the dorkiness of it though since you want a tattoo of a lightsaber, you fucking nerd <3

Glad you all liked the cd and the cookies. Next time we wind up with extra baked goods, we’ll send them along and you had best appreciate it because shipping was fucking awful. Glad you thought the cd was cute too. And making a mixtape for your boyfriend is definitely a hardcore punk rock thing to do, you know.

What’s your favourite kind of cake? Mine is red velvet with buttercream frosting. The excessive food colouring is what makes it great, thanks. What’s your favourite kind of pie? Mine is apple pie, of course, because I am a true American like that. Fuck, I totally have baking on the brain (I blame you) so I guess what’s your favourite cookie? Mine are chocolate chip with spicy chocolate, which I made once for a prank and it turns out they’re fucking delicious.

Some non food related questions : boxers or briefs? Zip hoodies or pullovers? Which side of the bed? How do you take your coffee?

All the best,

Yours,

Steve

\---

Steve,

You’re right. I am a huge fucking nerd but so are you, so it’s fine.

Tell me more about your ridiculous patriotic super hero. He sounds pretty great. I’m dying to know how a skeleton could be his big bad.

Being cute is totally punk rock, which is good because you're cute as fuck Stevie. The cutest <3

My favourite cake is plain old chocolate. My favourite pie is strawberry rhubarb and you’re a fucking nerd for liking apple pie. My favourite cookie is probably my mom’s sugar cookies, though that might have a lot to do with making them around Christmas with my family every year. I usually wear boxers and if I’m not, I’m wearing nothing at all ;) I’ll wear whatever hoodie I grab first though I like pullovers more because they have bigger pockets. I’ll sleep wherever there’s space for me as long as I’m not standing up. I take my coffee caffeinated and preferably warm.

Same questions back at you, plus : what’s your Hogwarts house, which is your favourite Harry Potter book and what class do you think you’d be best at (can you tell I’m rereading the series?). What’s your favourite game console? Do you use iTunes? Where would you want to go if you could travel anywhere in the states? In the world?

Since I know you’ll ask me to answer these questions back, I’m a Hufflepuff (fight me), I like Goblet of Fire best and I’d probably be good at potions.

I like Playstation over Xbox, especially because you don’t have to pay to use your own damned internet to use Netflix on Playstations, but there will always be a special spot in my heart for Nintendo. Becca still has our N64 from when we were kids and one of the first things we do when I’m home is play Mario Kart and hate on each other. I have an iPod so I use iTunes and if I could go anywhere in the states, I’d want to go see the giant redwoods in California. If I could go anywhere in the world I’d go to Italy or Greece or maybe Russia just so I don’t have to look at any more fucking sand. Any of the three would be fine with me because there’d be great food.

Yours,

Bucky

\---

Bucky,

I usually wear some sort of underwear. I think I have more briefs and boxer briefs than I do regular boxers. What exactly I wear really depends on what kind of pants I’m gonna wear. The tighter my pants, the tighter my underwear need to be. Straight briefs are probably my prefered kind though, mostly because I’m tiny enough to buy the nerdy multipacks from the kids department, like the adult I am.

I like zip up hoodies because I can take them off without knocking off my glasses too. Just so you know, I may end up with a preference for your hoodies :)

I should also probably warn you that I tend to sleep right in the middle of the bed, taking up as much space as I can, no matter how big the bed is. I can even manage to take up enough of a queen sized bed that it’s damn near impossible to share, or so Peggy tells me. She also says that I’m a blanket hog and that she’s sorry.

I like dark roast coffee with just a bit of creamer, but I’ll also drink it black with sugar. We have Keurigs, both at home and in the shop, which is good since a) Sam gets up SO MUCH EARLIER THAN ME, b) he likes lighter roast for reasons I don’t understand, c) high levels of caffeine aren’t exactly good for me and d) Loki has an absurd love of the shittiest Starbucks coffee and no one else will drink it at the shop. (He bought the Keurig and we all buy our own coffee pods so it ended up being pretty okay and nobody forgets to make a new pot and thus have to face the anger of everyone else when there’s no more coffee.)

(Wow, that sentence probably could have been worded better.)

I am definitely 100% without a doubt a Gryffindor. I’ve got the crest on the left side of my ribs and part of one of the Sorting Hat’s poems describing the house on the inside of my right upper arm. Your nerdiness does not trump mine. I take my Hogwarts house VERY seriously. Like I’ve mentioned, Sam is a Hufflepuff. Peggy, Natasha and Loki are all Slytherins. Darcy, though, is a girl after my own heart. I think I’d probably be pretty good at charms or maybe transfiguration. You would totally be great at charms too. After all, you’ve sure charmed me <3 I think the sixth and seventh books are my favourites since, if I remember right, they really show off the background of a lot of the characters. I haven’t read the series for years though. Does it stand up to your memories of it?

Favourite game console would definitely be the N64. I also had a gameboy color but that’s pretty much it for video games for me.

I have a Mac (because they’re great for artists -- the colour balance is amazingly close to real life which helps a LOT) so of course I use itunes. I also use spotify and pandora a lot too. We have pro accounts for the shop.

If I could go anywhere in the US, I’d want to go see the grand canyon. Not too special of a destination but hey, I grew up in the city. That much nature boggles my mind. The giant redwoods would be really cool too though. If I could go anywhere in the world, I would go to Paris for the art. Paris wins out over Rome because I can speak French, by the way.

One of the better comics about my super hero character was the one where he went to rescue his childhood best friend slash side kick from the evil skeleeton nazi’s henchmen and there were lasers even though it was supposed to be set in the 40’s. Then there was another one where he went to avenge his best friend slash sidekick’s death (even though he didn’t ACTUALLY die, since no one ACTUALLY dies in comics) and then he flies a plane loaded with bombs into the ocean to save the world. Looking back, it’s really obvious how gay for each other those characters were, which is hilarious since I didn’t realize I was bi until I was 20 or so.

Speaking of which, when did you figure out you weren’t straight? When did you lose your virginity? ;)

Hmm… what’s the strangest music you listen to? What’s your favourite colour? Favourite N64 game? Favourite movie?

All the best,

Yours,

Steve

\---

Steve : I cn think about you when I jerk of right????  
Steve : Cause I’ve got the biggest boner right naw  
Steve : And all I can think of is uou  
Steve : Yoru very handsome  
Steve : And NY boyfriend  
Steve : And I really want to suck u off  
Steve : Buckyyyyyyy  
Steve : Buck  
Steve : Buggy  
Steve : Aahaha wow I’m pretty durnk aren’t I???  
Steve : Hey Bucky, this is Sam. We’re all very sorry for getting your boy drunk and letting him sext you so badly.  
Bucky : oh my god steve  
Steve : I am so sorry.  
Bucky : don’t be. that was hilarious and adorable. i’m glad you want to blow me ;)  
Steve : I’m still sorry.  
Steve : That was so bad.  
Steve : Sam’s still laughing at me for it.  
Steve : Because he’s an ASSHOLE.  
Bucky : you can totally think about me while you jerk off, by the way <3  
Bucky : they weren’t that bad.  
Steve : They really were though.  
Steve : Mostly Sam keeps laughing because I complained really loudly about how you weren’t replying.  
Steve : And I was apparently very… descriptive.  
Bucky : lmao  
Steve : Don’t you start.  
Bucky : start what? you’re adorable is all.  
Steve : Damn straight.  
Bucky : lol <3

\---

Steve,

You do know I’m a lot bigger than you so you’re gonna swim in any hoodie you ~~steal~~ borrow from me. Not that I’d complain. I’m willing to bet you’d look awful good in  just one of my hoodies ;)

You seem pretty interested in thinking of us in bed together. That’s awful forward of you Stevie. Not that I’m complaining. For the record, I’m not complaining of thinking about you in your underwear either ;)

You are such a huge nerd for getting not one, but two different Gryffindor tattoos. You’re an even bigger nerd for that pick up line (I may have charmed you, but you’ve transfigured my life). The books are just as good as I remembered and they’re really good reading from an adult’s perspective. Had to take a break halfway through the fifth book though. They started hitting a little too close to home, you know?

So you draw and you speak French. Does that mean you’ll draw me like one of your French girls?

Your superhero comics sound pretty amazing actually. Lasers and gay relationships? Sign me up. You’ll have to show me some of them while we have our date of take out and art <3

I’m one of the ones who has always known. I remember having crushes on boys as well as girls as far back as kindergarten. It didn’t really have much of effect on my life until puberty but I was a pretty charismatic teenager so it wasn’t too bad. I had my first girlfriend at twelve and my first boyfriend at fifteen, and he’s who I lost my virginity to.

You’ve already asked me my favourite colour. It’s blue, by the way, in case you forgot. The Princess Bride is one of my favourite movies. Banjo Kazooie/Banjo Twooie might be my favourite N64 games. The weirdest music I listen to is probably Nicki Minaj. Nobody ever expects it but she’s the best thing to listen to while baking and it makes my sister laugh so much.

This’ll probably be the last letter I send you for now. I’ll be headed home in a couple weeks and then I’ll be able to see you in person.

Yours,

Bucky  
\---

Steve : Got your letter.  
Steve : Is there still time to send you my reply?  
Bucky : should be. if not, it’ll be forwarded to me at becca’s so i’ll get it either way.  
Steve : Good.  
Steve : just dropped it off at the post office.  
Bucky : you didn’t even wait for my reply, did you?  
Steve : Nope :)  
Steve : When are you thinking of coming to DC to get tattooed?  
Bucky : whenever you have time for me. i have weekends off usually  
Steve : Okay.  
Steve : You’re back the 5th, right?  
Bucky : yup.  
Steve : I’ve got the morning of the 21st open if you want it.  
Bucky : sounds good.

\---

Bucky,

Hopefully you’ll get this before you’re home. I’ve gone ahead and drawn up your tattoo based off what I can see of your dad’s. Becca has been a great help with this. I have so many of your baby pictures now :D If there’s anything you want me to change, let me know and I’ll do it. Nothing's set in stone until ink meets skin and I’m not gonna be offended if you want something tweaked.

I read that terrible Potter pick up line out loud in the shop and Peter offered his services as a wedding photographer again :I

We can definitely have a night where I draw you. I haven’t had someone pose for me nude for years now. Then again, if you do pose nude for me I’d really hope to get my hands on something more than art supplies, if you know what I mean ;)

Sorry this letter is so short. Can’t really think of much more than you being here in another two weeks! So I guess I’ll finish up and text you instead.

All the best,

Yours,

Steve

\---

Steve : Three more days…  
Bucky : two more now.  
Steve : So close but yet so far.  
Steve : Time passes so much slower when you’re waiting for something.  
Bucky : you gotta learn some patience stevie.  
Steve : I AM patient thanks.  
Steve : Most of the time.  
Steve : You can’t tell me you’re not being impatient over there.  
Bucky : i won’t :P i just handle it better apparently.  
Steve : Jerk.  
Bucky : punk.  
Steve : Can’t wait <3  
Bucky : me neither.  
Steve : <3  
Steve : <3 <3 <3  
Bucky : just got off the plane

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh no a cliffhanger D: i may or may not come back to this 'verse but anything else i write for it will be in proper prose though so this is the best place to wrap things up imo. thx for reading o3o


End file.
